FRI 9/28 - PM 30 minutes easy

Dismal jog in gross conditions. Exhausted all day at work thanks to the stupid sore throat which of course kept me from getting anything resembling a decent night's sleep. Took a long while to get out the door when I finally made it home. Rained off and on but more on all day, and of course one of the heavier showers rolled through in the midst of my quite short run. Calf feels stiff and tight, stuck in the not quite injured but not all there purgatory for the time being. Not looking forward to tomorrow at all.

Thu 9/27 - off

Planning on doing something light, decided to take the zero instead after the kiddies' meet was done. Still feeling flat, and with a dry scratchy throat all day as well.

Wed 9/26 - PM 80 minutes easy plus 20 minutes in Walden

No practice today which allowed me to reenact, one last time, the summer routine of heading over to Lincoln post-work. Also recreated the part of the routine where I take a nap in the car, a long one. Still paying the piper for the weekend and Monday's hard effort. Feeling quite flat for the first 40 minutes of the run and only marginally better after that. Some life in the legs post-pond but overall just feeling tired throughout. Pond is definitely at wetsuit temps, not that I have one to wear. White-fingered for a couple of hours afterward. Breezy like the last couple of days but overcast and sticky as well, stealthily gross in fact.

Tue 9/25 - PM 70 minutes very easy

Lincoln woods. Fully ignoring the effect of the past two days, I had been planning on actually doing a threshold workout today. Thankfully it occurred to me at the last minute that wouldn't be a good idea. With just enough daylight left I headed over to the woods instead. Feeling somewhat put upon between work and coaching so the time spent on the trails was much needed just for decompressing. Started slow and got slower as things went along and it became clear how tired I was. Right calf stiff thanks to low profile shoes. Still sunny and breezy, although with some humidity creeping into the picture.

Mon 9/24 - PM 75 minutes

Weston, with the kiddies. Ran a very similar route two weeks ago, aqueduct to Rice, on to Love Lane and Highland. This time went a little longer but it took less time because the pace got super stupid after an initial 30 minutes that was quite relaxed. In the interest of recovery from yesterday's effort (such as it was) I should have taken it easier, the option presented itself, but the morbid curiosity was too much, I had to see what an adolescent pissing contest looked like up close. Fascinating stuff, various surges unsurprisingly corresponding to flat or downhill stretches with the obligatory final sprint for the last 100m or so. Calf still tight but feels under control, not that I did anything to help matters. Dry, sunny breezy conditions, rapidly cooling as the sun started to set.

Sun 9/23 - PM 60 minutes incl. 5k road race plus 15 minutes in Long Lake

Vaguely unsatisfactory effort, not exactly in a place to put my best foot forward to begin with though. Slept in after yesterday's long day. Knew from the get-go I was more than a bit fried from all the driving and the early wakeup after late bedtime Friday night. Because of the odd starting time (2:30) I tried to eat an early, lighter lunch but it was neither early enough nor light enough apparently, because I was still digesting it when it came time to warm up. Course is typical of Littleton, hills and rolls aplenty. Most significant climb in the first mile. Not expecting much in the way of competition, I wouldn't have done the race in the first place if it weren't part of the NVGP, but there was prize money for winning so I was prepared for at least one or two decent folks to show up. The presence of Littleton HS athletes in their team uniforms became a source of confusion when their coach decided to run the race also wearing the LHS strip. A little odd but to each their own. I was left wondering who this very mature looking HS kid was, but still decided to try a strategy that I figured would work on a high schooler on this course. That would be blast the initial hilly mile and hope it destroyed him more than me. Turns out the kid I was racing was in fact a grown man and this gambit failed rather spectacularly. My breathing was labored and I was well beyond myself by the time he calmly re-passed me after I made my move. Soon after I gave up. Mile splits around 5:00 for the first and then 5:30 or so for the next two. I'd like to say I was just coasting but it was a little more effort than that. Right calf held up to all this although it was feeling fairly stiff on the warmup. With a good amount of direct pressure and compressions later in the day I'm hopeful the worst is behind me for this flareup. On the cooldown, stopped for a dip in Long Lake which was nice except for the coating of slime that I came out with. Sunny, breezy and kind of cool overall.

Sat 9/22 - double, 90 minutes total plus 20 minutes in Walden

AM - 50 minutes very easy. Out and back shuffle down Main St. in Fishkill, as boring as it gets. Didn't get much sleep last night, unsurprisingly. Right ankle feels locked up, whether this is caused by tight calf or causing is anyone's guess.

PM - 40 minutes easy plus 20 minutes in Walden. Got back from the trip to NY earlier than expected, with time enough to make it over to the pond before closing time. Humid enough during the day to make the dip more welcome than I thought it would be. Water is cooling off though, as it steadily recedes.